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JAMAICA’S SENIOR athletes will be seeking glory this weekend at another major championships as the three-day World Indoor Championships will begin on Friday at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.
Jamaica will be represented by 16 athletes with 12 involved in individual events, as the country aims to better the two silver medals garnered at the last Championships in 2018 in Birmingham, England.
On that occasion, shot put ace Danniel Thomas Dodd and triple jumper Kimberly Williamson mined silver. Both will have a chance to go one better.
Thomas Dodd, with a season-best 18.80 metres, will be in action on Friday’s opening day as the women’s shot put finals is slated for 12:55 p.m. Jamaican time.
It could be tough going this time for both athletes.
Instead, the country’s best chance of medals could come in the women’s 60-metre hurdles from Danielle Williams and Britany Anderson, while Natoya Goule in the 800 is also highly ranked.
With a world-leading time of 7.75 seconds in the women’s 60m hurdles, Williams, the 2015 World Outdoor 100m hurdles champion, could add another major title to her cabinet.
Williams is the odds-on favourite in the event, especially with the world number two, three and four not competing at the Championships.
Those absences open the door for Anderson, who is the fifth fastest this season with a personal best of 7.82.
After her disappointment in the final of the 800 metres at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Goule has been having a dream season, with an indoor best of 1 minute, 58.46 seconds coming in France in mid-February. That performance put her number two on the world list.
Goule looks set to make up for her Tokyo disappointment and could be among the medals here where Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, with a season’s best 1:57.20 seconds, is the top seed.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Olympic Games 4×100-metre relay gold medallist Briana Williams and Shericka Jackson will be in action at the Championships on Friday when they contest the preliminary round of the women’s 60 metres at 4:15 a.m. Jamaican time.
With a season and personal best of 7.09 seconds, Williams is ranked seventh in the event while Jackson, with a best of 7.12 seconds, is ranked number 18 on the World Athletics list.
With the World top seed in Ewa Swoboda of Poland, 6.99, Marybeth Saint Price of the United States, 7.04, the world number two and number-four ranked, Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, 7.05, all down to compete, it could be tough going for both Jamaicans where the semi-finals and final will be contested on the opening day.
Two other of the country’s female athletes will be in action on the opening day with Stephenie Ann McPherson and Roneisha McGregor contesting the semi-final round of the women’s 400 metres at 12:35 p.m. Jamaican time.
Olympic Games 400m finalist Christopher Taylor will be one of three Jamaican males down to contest individual events, along with Nigel Ellis in the 60 metres and Ronald Levy in the 60m hurdles.
Taylor, with a season best 46.38 seconds, will be in action on the opening day in the preliminary round at 5:45 a.m. Jamaican time.
sports@gleanerjm.com
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